Charlie Wilson's War

I have had Charlie Wilson’s War on my radar for months now, but I wouldn’t say that I was banking on it being one of the best movies of the year. Still, Tom Hanks, Julia Robert, and Philip Seymour Hoffman is a significant enough cast that I held out hope that maybe this could sneak up on me and deliver something top notch. And wouldn’t you know it, Charlie Wilson’s War kind of kicked ass.

My enjoyment of this movie is not based on any sort of political leanings. In fact arguments about the truthiness of the story make my eyes glaze over and then I nod off. I like the movie because the acting was strong and the plot was engrossing, be it true to the letter or not. Mike Nichols direction and Aaron Sorkin’s screenplay keep the movie on a brisk pace so that there are no boring points. In fact the movie is only an hour and a half long so it passes by in a flash. With the length of the movie being so short and Sorkin giving everybody slick dialogue, Charlie Wilson’s War was a very enjoyable time at the theater.

Let’s skip over the 2 biggest names for now and go straight to Philip Seymour Hoffman. I have to be honest when I saw that hair and those glasses, even though it was set in the 80s, I didn’t know if I was going to be able to take him seriously. But then again who the hell am I to judge whether or not Hoffman can pull off anything he damn well pleases. And he proceeds to dominate each and every scene he is in. From his entrance where he breaks his boss’s office window, to his response when Hanks asks him if he drinks, to his proposition of Roberts, all the way through him getting pissed at Hanks after they had driven the Soviets out, he was unbelievable in this movie.

Tom Hanks has never been one of my favorite actors but he has always been someone that I trust to give a really good performance no matter what the movie. He brings a little extra to Charlie Wilson’s War. Maybe it was playing such a flawed man but he really brought out the conflict in Charlie Wilson. Plus all of his interactions with secretary pool, Charlie’s Angels, were hilarious and the fact that he called them "jailbait" was just icing on the cake. Julia Roberts was almost as fun as Hanks here. She played the hell out of the rich Texan who spurs Hanks into action by screwing him then sending him off to Pakistan. Last but not least is Amy Adams as Wilson’s dedicated personal assistant who has to put up with all his crap but is still with him every step of the way. Adams deserves to be a much bigger star than she is, she can do almost anything. This is just a fantastic cast.

2007 has been a crazy good year. At almost any other time, I would be amped to get as good a movie as Charlie Wilson's War at the end of December. Instead I am trying to figure out a way of keeping it in my top 10. Still that is through no fault of this film, this was a fun movie disguised as a deep political thriller. Great stuff.

9 out of 10